There's A 'Ghostly Circle' Around The Big Dipper, Say Scientists
Jun 6, 2020,10:00pm EDT
Jamie Carter Senior Contributor
Science
You know the Big Dipper—also called the Plough. It’s that pattern of seven bright stars that isn’t actually a “real” constellation.
Part of the constellation of Ursa Major—the Great Bear—it’s one of the most familiar and best-loved star shapes in the northern hemisphere’s night sky. In June it’s right above the head of every stargazer every night.
Its handle, which is made up of the stars Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid, has just been confirmed to be home to a ghostly, almost perfectly circular, arc of ultraviolet emission that stretches 30º across the northern sky.
“Ultraviolet emission” means electromagnetic radiation not visible to the human eye. The arc is made of compressed, energized hydrogen gas between the stars, and if the arc were extended it would completely encircle the Big Dipper with a diameter of 60º.
More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/06/06/theres-a-ghostly-circle-around-the-big-dipper-say-scientists/#bef23ab5ece1
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